


Soul Snatchers' Extras: Meeting Love (3rd Person Rewrite)

by Nikkie2571



Series: The Soul Snatchers' Saga + AUs & side stories [6]
Category: Original Work, The Soul Snatchers' Saga
Genre: Autism, Bullying, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Magic School, Poverty, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 16:12:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18832117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikkie2571/pseuds/Nikkie2571
Summary: Nikeese knew a lot, but he didn't know how to defend himself.[Also on Fictionpress]





	Soul Snatchers' Extras: Meeting Love (3rd Person Rewrite)

Runes are complicated things and mages typically spent many years learning how to use them properly. Not only because the runes themselves were basically another language, albeit one very similar to the  _ Old Tongue _ of the Andatamel, but because magic liked to be very specific.

In front of Nikeese sat a large book, a book whose size attested to the very fact that runes took forever to learn. Not that it hadn’t stopped nikeese from trying, he’d read ahead and was already using some of the basic runes.

Looking up at the teacher and their chalkboard revealed that the teacher was talking about one of the runes Nikeese had already used. A heating one that he had put on his mother’s kettle. Nikeese smiled to himself, feeling quite smart. He wasn’t wasting his mother’s money just yet.

Nikeese ran his fingers along the frayed edge of his sleeve, the used cyan fabric just slightly older than he was. Looking at it made him feel both hopeful and sad. Hopeful because he was  _ here _ learning how to use  _ magic _ , but sad because nearly all his mother’s earnings went into keeping him here. She had barely afforded the mandatory robe.

Nikeese mentally scoffed in disgust as he remembered. He rather disliked the “mandatory” uniform. It left no room for  _ him _ and his clothes to shine through. Not they were anything much to look at, but looking like everyone else was in no way better than looking like the poor truth.

Now thoroughly bored, Nikeese turned his gaze to the other occupants of the class, in all their varying ages and appearances. Nikeese was actually one of the youngest students here, while some students started as young as eight, most of them started at ten and wouldn’t get to learn about runes till they were 13 or 14. It _was_ a tier two learning class after all. You needed some basics before you could even touch anything magical in this place.  
Near the window was the tallest student, a girl, roughly 15. Her robe was embroidered fancily at the edges, little criss-cross patterns made of a more shimmery thread. She didn’t talk much, Nikeese wasn’t sure if she could.

Twin girls, both wearing sleeveless robes with pink shirts underneath, were giggling quietly at each other, clearly not paying attention. Not that Nikeese could judge them. But he could judge them for giggling at people, as they appeared to be doing.

A boy, darker skin, who was wearing an overly long-sleeved red shirt under his robe was rubbing his hands together, the fabric of his shirt between his hands. He looked like he was having fun, despite the oddity of the action. No one should be made fun of for having fun.

Too bad Nikeese couldn’t do anything about it.

“Nikeese! Are you paying attention?” The teacher said, scolding him.

Nikeese startled. “Uh, no, ma’am!” He said, knowing that lying would only get him in more trouble.

The teacher looked surprised. “And why not?”

“I already read about this stuff, I don’t need to pay attention.”

The teacher narrowed her eyes, humming judgmentally. “Then what is…” She drew some symbols on the board. “...This?”

Nikeese stared at the symbols, they looked familiar. They were…. “ _ Kolod _ ? The cooling command?”

The teacher’s mouth twisted up like a wrung washcloth. “I see… Well, good work I suppose, but please don’t read ahead again.”

Nikeese nodded, but he had no intention of following her suggestion. He wouldn’t be able to keep up with the richer kids if he didn’t.

The teacher, seemingly satisfied with Nikeese, returned to teaching, and Nikeese returned to people watching. He didn’t have anything better to do. Reading ahead again had only become confusing, the runes and their functions too complex to only be explained with the book. He would have to wait for everyone else to catch up.

He sighed to himself and turned his attention back to the darker skinned boy. He looked startled, though Nikeese couldn’t tell for sure since he was behind him. But his entire posture screamed about a level of discomfort or unease.

A hand touched the boy’s shoulder, a hand belonging to the girl beside him. She could have been the boy’s sister, but, again, Nikeese couldn’t be sure. She appeared to be trying to comfort him, though, which was good.

Her face was half turned towards Nikeese, and she looked… really pretty actually.

Nikeese turned his head towards the surface of his desk. That… no… he didn’t have time to think about pretty people, he needed to be learning!

A shrill sound rang through the building, a magically generated bell noise that signalled the end of this block of classes. Nikeese sighed to himself. While he loved learning, being around people for this long just… irritated him. Not that he didn’t mind people in general, he loved being around them,  but only as long as they were friendly.

His classmates and teachers tended not to be as friendly as would be ideal.

Carefully, Nikeese grabbed his big book and stowed it in his satchel, and quietly made his way out of the classroom, intent on going to the library to see if he could gain some insight on the runes he had yet to understand.

A shadow passed over him, someone was blocking his way just outside the classroom door.

Nikeese didn’t have time for that, so he moved to the side, only to be stuck in a corner, with a tall tall boy looking down at him.

“What do you want?” Nikeese asked, trying not to let his voice waver.

The boy smiled, mouth wide enough to show off his teeth. “To punch your teeth in. You made the rest of us look stupid back there with your ‘reading ahead’ nonsense. It hurt enough that you’re poor, but now you’re actually  _ smart _ . Nah, that’s just not allowed.”

The boy lifted his fist, an action Nikeese watched as if it were slowed down. The fist approached him and Nikeese felt his fate wash over him like a gentle breeze. There wasn’t anything he could do, so he wouldn’t. There was no point.

The boy’s fist hit. Except… it hadn’t hit Nikeese. Blinking, he realized that there was a barrier where nothing had been before. It glimmered like pearlescent glass, transparent and beautiful and soft.

“Leave him alone!” Yelled a feminine voice.

Nikeese peered around the boy as he turned around, bringing into view the pretty girl he had seen earlier. Her curly hair was pulled back in a ponytail that showed off her fierce-looking blue eyes  and the curving marks of light that wound around the shells of her pointed ears .

“And what if I don’t?”

The girl smiled, her expression dangerous. “I’ll tell my parents not  to do business with yours because I saw you nearly pummel someone to death. They’ll believe me, especially when I drag this unfortunate boy over for them to see.”

She leaned over and waved at Nikeese. “Just hang in there, by the way, this won’t take long.”

Nikeese nodded wordlessly.

The boy was staring at the girl, posture rigid and defensive. “How do I know you’re not bluffing?”

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hey, Rashidi?” She called over her shoulder.

The boy, the one with the red sleeves, showed up. “Y-yeah?” He said.

The girl smiled again as she turned back to the tall boy. “If this goes on for much longer, can you tell mum and dad why I’m not home yet? And not to do business with the Richards ever again?”

Rashidi nodded vigorously and the tall boy scoffed.

“Fine! You win,” he declared as he walked off. “Little poor boy can remain unpunched.”

The girl smiled brightly, her eyes shining with victory. Nikeese was… impressed, and maybe a little scared. But he kinda liked that she scared him.

Nikeese approached slowly. “Umm, thank you. I, uh, I’m Nikeese.”

“I’m Retta, and you’re welcome!”

“I, um, I was going to go to the library…. Can you uh, can you escort me? So that no one else, uh, threatens me again?”

Retta’s eyes softened. “Yeah, we can do that. Just... don’t mind Rashidi, he might say some odd questions.”

Nikeese blinked. What kind of things would she consider  _ odd? _

“You’re really pretty for a boy,” Rashidi said, instantly clearing up Nikeese’s confusion.

Nikeese flushed. “Th-thanks.”

Retta scanned him again. “While that may be true, you’re not supposed to say that to people you’ve just met, Shi. You  _ know _ that.”

Rashidi whined, a quiet high pitched sound. “Soooorrryyy. I forgot.” His face was an expression of pain and regret.

Retta glared. “ _ Rashidi _ .”

“It-, It’s alright!” Nikeese rushed to say. “I-I don’t mind! I don’t really care about what you’re supposed to say or not, as long as you’re not lying.”

A moment of quiet. “And it’s not mean either,” Nikeese added on.

Retta’s face got considering, mouth in a tight line. She didn’t look angry though. “That’s a very unique view.”

Retta then finally began walking towards the library, her cane tapping on the floor. Nikeese followed hastily, Rashidi right behind him.

There wasn’t any talking though and the silence made Nikeese uncomfortable.

“Are-, how did-, why do you have that cane?” He managed to stutter out.

Retta didn’t even turn around to answer. “I was attacked by an Andatamel servant in my home, while he failed in killing me, and the attack resulted in me gaining magic, he succeeded in crippling me.”

“That’s why I wanna be a medical mage!” Rashidi nearly shouted in his ear, sounding more than thoroughly excited. “So I can help her, and others like her!”

Retta stopped, and seemed to fume for a quiet moment. “Rashidi!” She said as she turned around. “That was too loud! You have to remember to control yourself, that’s what Mother and Father keep saying, and you never listen!”

Rashidi’s eyes were shut tight, fingers clenched in his hair. “I knnowwwww,” he said, shaking his head just a little. “I’m sooorryyyyyyy.”

Nikeese didn’t like seeing him like that.

“It’s okay… really. I don’t mind if you’re loud. It’s often quiet around me anyway, I could use the noise.” Nikeese then smiled as gently as he could, trying his best to appear friendly.

Retta was quiet, no clear expression on her face, but Rashidi was looking shyly at him, head still not angled upright.

“R-really?”

“Really.”

A soft smile formed on Rashidi’s face.

“You’re a good person, Nikeese,” Retta said, a smile also on her face. “I can tell we’re gonna be good friends.”

Nikeese’s heart soared as he promised to himself he would never let these two down.


End file.
